''Salvelinus killinensis'', also known as Haddy charr is a variety of
charr found in certain lakes in
Scotland.
''Salvelinus killinensis'' lives in
Loch Killin
Loch Killin is a small freshwater loch in the Monadhliath Mountains, in Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Geography
The loch is about long, and is one of numerous small lochs close to the southern end of Loch Ness, the southernmost point of ...
(
Inverness-shire), after which it is named. It is also found in
Loch Doine (
Trossachs) and perhaps in
Loch Builg
''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch.
In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spelling ...
(
Cairngorms) as well. It lives in the deeper regions of the lakes, moving to shallower waters only during the
spawning season.
Recently the presence of this charr has been reported in several other lakes of Scotland, although it may be not be ''Salvelinus killinensis'', but another similar species.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy of charrs is controversial. The Scottish authorities follow the practice which considers all the 200 Scottish charr populations, including that of Loch Killin, belonging to the single widespread
circumpolar species ''
Salvelinus alpinus
The Arctic char or Arctic charr (''Salvelinus alpinus'') is a cold-water fish in the family Salmonidae, native to alpine lakes and arctic and subarctic coastal waters. Its distribution is Circumpolar North. It spawns in freshwater and populatio ...
'' (the
Arctic char). The
IUCN Red List however follows division of Scottish (and other) charrs to several local species. In this view other putative Scottish charr species include ''Salvelinus gracillimus'', ''Salvelinus mallochi'', ''Salvelinus struanensis'' and ''Salvelinus youngeri'', and further species would exist elsewhere in the UK and Ireland.
Description
''Salvelinus killinensis'' grows to a length of . The snout is blunt and the upper jaw is slightly longer than the lower jaw. The dorsal surface is dull, olive-grey or bluish-grey with pale spots, shading to yellowish-white on the belly. The fins are yellowish to reddish-brown, with a white margin on the front of the anal and pelvic fins.
[
]
Ecology
This fish lives in the deepest parts of Loch Killin
Loch Killin is a small freshwater loch in the Monadhliath Mountains, in Highland, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Geography
The loch is about long, and is one of numerous small lochs close to the southern end of Loch Ness, the southernmost point of ...
, which has a maximum depth of . The only time it is seen is around September when it moves to shallow waters to spawn.[
]
References
External links
Photo of ''Salvelinus killinensis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2756285
killinensis
Endemic fauna of Scotland
Cold water fish
Fish described in 1865
Taxa named by Albert Günther